I have previously developed an ergonomic seating assembly in which three platforms or support surfaces can be used to provide a highly comfortable and efficient support system for a user while seated. This seating assembly is set forth in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,249 and includes a seat, a body support platform, and a let support platform. All three elements were movable to varying degrees to attempt to enable the user of the ergonomic chair to efficiently support his or her body weight in a number of different postures.
In addition to the chair of my patent, various other chair or seat assemblies have been devices which support the user's torso and/or legs. Thus, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,165,314, 3,754,787 and 3,759,511 chair assemblies are shown in which body or torso support platforms are provided with varying degrees of adjustment. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 454,100, 2,364,050 and 4,507,882 chair assemblies are shown in which the back of the chair can also be used as a torso support platform if the user turns around and sits facing what would nominally be regarded as the chair back. Finally, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,037,570, 3,541,313, 3,669,493, 3,863,978 and 4,328,991 various seat assemblies are shown which include a shin or leg support structure.
While these prior art chair assemblies have various advantageous and disadvantages, they tend to be designed for a particular purpose and user posture. Even the chairs which contemplate that the user may sit in both a forward and a rearward facing direction, tend to be very limited in the manner in which a person's weight can be supported on the chair.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a chair assembly and method of seating using three weight supporting platforms which can be moved or arranged geometrically to enable the user to be seated and supported in a variety of different postures.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a chair assembly which is capable of supporting the body of the user so that the musculature can be relaxed in any one of a plurality of seating postures.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a chair assembly and method in which the weight of the body of the user can be more evenly distributed and supported over the chair assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a chair assembly which can be easily adjusted and changed to accommodate changes in the posture of the user while seated on the chair.
Still further an object of the present invention is to provide a chair assembly having a leg support platform in which the leg support platform can be selectively positioned for support of the user's legs when facing in forward or a rearward direction or can be stored to permit the user to support his legs on the floor.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a seat assembly and leg support therefor which enables seating in a kneeling posture at virtually any orientation around the seat assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a variable posture chair which is durable, easy to adjust, requires minimum maintenance and is compact.
The variable posture chair method of the present invention have other objects and features of advantage which are set forth in more detail and will be apparent from the following description of the Best Mode Of Carrying Out The Invention and the accompanying drawings.